
Class _ 
Book 



_£Jc 



58th Congress! 
3d Session I 



House of Representatives 



I Document 

I No. 471 



WILLIAM W. SKILES 



( Late a Representative from Ohio) 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES DELIVERED IN 
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



Second Session of the 
Fifty-eighth Cungress 



Compiled under the Direction of the Jjint Committee on Printing 



WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE :1<>05 



ET66<t 






TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Pag( 

Proceedings in the House 5 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden 5 

Address of Mr. Grosvenor, of Ohio 

Address of Mr. Tirrell, of Massachusetts M 

Address of Mr. Hildebrant, of Ohio '9 

Address of Mr. Snook, of Ohio 22 

Address of Mr. Kyle, of Ohio 2 5 

Address of Mr. Cassingham, of Ohio 

Address of Mr. Webb, of North Carolina 29 

Address of Mr. Currier, of New Hampshire 3 1 

Proceedings in the Senate 35 

3 



Death of Representative William W. Skiles 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE 

Monday, January 11, 1904.. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, 1). D., offered the 
following prayer: 

Our Father, who art in heaven, to whom we are indebted 
for life and all things, and to whom we owe everlasting 
gratitude and willing service, we most earnestly pray for a 
larger and ever-increasing conception of life and its far-reach- 
ing purposes, that we may bend all our energies' toward the 
fhial consummation of things as exemplified in the life and 
teachings of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. 

Ouce more, O Lord, are we called upon to mourn the loss of 
another from our Congressional family, who, by his genial 
nature and the high order of service rendered to his country, 
endeared himself to all. We most fervently pray that Thou 
will comfort his colleagues and friends, especially the grief- 
stricken family, by the blessed assurance that some time, 
somewhere, there will be a reunion where sorrow and death 
shall not enter. 

Hear us in the name of Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

5 



6 Proceedings in ///<■ House 

DEATH OF HON. WILLIAM WOODBURN SKILES. 

Mr. GROSVENOR. Mr. Speaker, it is made my painful duty 
to announce to the House of Representatives the death of 
Hon. William Woodburn Skills, a Representative in this 
body from the State of Ohio. That sad event took place at 
his home at Shelby on Saturday last. At a proper time the 
House will be asked to set aside a space of time in which 
eulogies suitable to the high character and distinguished serv- 
ices of the deceased may be rendered upon this floor. In the 
meantime, Mr. Speaker, I offer for adoption the following 
resolutions. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

k't wived, That tlie House of Representatives lias heard with great sor- 
row of the death of Hon. William Woodburn Skills, of tin Stati ol 
Ohio. 

Resolved, That a committee of fifteen Members of the House, with 
such members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to attend the 
funeral 

Resolved, Thai the Serjeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and 

directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying out the | 

visions of these resolutions, and that the nectSsary expenses in connection 
therewith lie paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate 
and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

The question was taken; ami the resolutions were unani- 
mously agreed to. 

The Speaker. The Chair appoints the following committee. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

Committee of the House to attend the funeral of Hon, W. W. Skills: 
Mr. Kyle, Mr. Badger, Mr. Southard, Mr. Hildehrant, Mr. Dick, Mr. 
Snook, Mr. Morgan, Mr. Currier, Mr. Beidler, Mr. Legate, Mr. Wood yard, 
Mr. Dickerman, Mr. Robb, Mr. Davidson, Mr. Warnock. and Mr. Webb 

Mr. Gkosvenor. Mr. Speaker, as a further mark of respect. 
I move that the House do now adjourn. 
The motion was agreed to. 



Proceedings in the House 7 

And accordingly (at 12 o'clock and 27 minutes p. 111. ) the 
House adjourned. 

April 15, 1904. 

eulogies ox the late senator haxxa and the late 
hon. \v. w. skiles. 

Mr. Grosvenor. Mr. Speaker 

The Speaker. For what purpose does the gentleman rise 5 

Mr. GROSVENOR. I desire to ask unanimous consent that 
Sunday, April 24, a session of the House being already 
ordered, may be set apart for eulogies upon the life and 
character of the late deceased Senator Haxna and Hon. 
W. W. Skiles, late a Member of this House. By arrange- 
ment with the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Wiley] the 
exercises incident to that da} - will not come in conflict with 
those I have now requested. 

The Speaker. Is there objection? As the Chair under- 
stands, the gentleman proposes that the House shall meet at 
12 o'clock on Sunday, the 24th. 

Mr. Grosvenor. At 12 o'clock, Mr. Speaker. 

The Speaker. The Chair hears no objection, and it is so 
ordered. 

Mr. Small. Mr. Speaker, I think the special order is for 
2 o'clock. 

Mr. Grosvenor. Yes. 

Mr. Underwood. I understand gentlemen have arranged 
with the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Wiley] so that there 
will be no conflict. 

Mr. Grosvenor. Yes; I have arranged with the gentle- 
man from Alabama [Mr. Wiley] . We have agreed about 
the matter. 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

April 24, 191 14. 

death of hon. william \v. ski1.ks. 

Mr. Currier. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following resolu- 
tions, which I will send to the desk and ask to have read. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

1 That the business of the House be now suspended that oppor- 

tunity maybe given for tributes to the memory of Hon. William W. 
Skills, late a Member of this House from the State of < )hio. 

Resolved* That as a particular mark of r spect to the memory of the 
deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public career, the II 
at the conclusion of these exercises, shall stand adjourned. 

AV soh'Ctf, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the & n 

: ,1/, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the family 
of the deceased. 

The resolutions were agreed to. 

s 



Address of Mr. Grosvenor, oj Ohio 



Address of Mr. Grosvenor, of Ohio 

Mr. Speaker: I have listened with great interest to the 
beautiful eulogies that have been pronounced upon the dead 
and distinguished Member from Alabama [Mr. Thompson], 
and a thought has come to me that it is wise that we should 
assemble in a session of the House to speak .if the character 
and virtues of those who have gone before. There is too 
much of censure and too little of intelligence in considering 
and discussing our public men. One will not find among the 
body of men comprising this House many who have not come 
here because of some strong, attractive, and valuable personal 
characteristic. So it is well that their careers --hall be de- 
scribed and their virtues proclaimed, their succc^o made 
known. It will be an incentive to the young men of the 
future and an assurance to the people of the present. 

I speak for a very few moments of the life and character of 
our colleague, William Woodburn Skiles, of Ohio. His 
death was untimely; it came when he was apparently just 
upon the threshold of a great career. He fell at the post of 
duty. He fell when he was being honored and appreciated by 
his fellows, when the door of ambition was open before him, 
and when he was zealously pushing his way to usefulness and 
influence. He was born in the State of Pennsylvania in 1849; 
was taken to Ohio, and settled in Richland County, a county 
of fine farms, intelligent men, good people, loyal friends of 
civilization. He was educated and grew up to manhood, 
studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1878. He had 
been married about a year before. He diligently and faithfully 



id Life a>irf Character of William W. Skiles 

pursued the practice of law from the time of his admission to 
the Ohio bar until the time of his death. He never sought 
office, never held any office of any importance until he was 
elected to the Fifty-seventh Congress. He was a strong, able, 
well-educated, well-trained lawyer, a man who had the con- 
fidence and esteem of the bar and bench of Ohio in the fullest 
degree. I speak, of course, of those who knew him. He 
an admirable advocate. Hi-- arguments to the court were 
powerful, his addresses to the jury were forceful, eloquent, and 
able. lie was a faithful lawyer. He was one of those lawyers 
who devote themselves to the interests of their client--. 
Honorable, high-minded, above all suspicion of the shyster, 
he was a straightforward gentleman. So devoted to the 
interests of his clients was he that he attracted my atten- 
tion in a matter in which he took deep interest during 
the last few months of his life. He had in his hands the 
interests of a client whom he believed was threatened with a 
great wrong and injustice, and he labored persistently while 
in Washington, scanning all the evidence, studying carefullv 
the law of the case. I myself became greatly interested in 
the case, for I felt — learning from him more than all I knew 
before — that injustice was probably threatened: and his appeal 
to the executive of Ohio was made with the conscientious belief 
that it was the only salvation for his friend and client. He 
was engaged in a struggle for that client when he fell at the 
hands of death. 

The last act of his life was at the peril of his life; the 
last effort he made was a fatal effort. He left there because 
of his client and was hurried to his home only to fall under 
the hands of disease. As I have said, he was well educated, 
a man who kept in touch with the progress of the affairs 
of his State and his country. He was a faithful party 



Address of Mr. Grosvenor, of Ohio ri 

man. He was not an offensive partisan, but a good partisan. 
He believed in party organization; he believed that a man 
could do more good for his country through the organization 
of a party than he could do by any independent action of 
his own. And that is the true philosophy of American 
government. Our Government is a government by parties, 
and the government of party consists in the organization of 
party and the fidelity of the membership to party and to 
party organization. No man in this country, if I may be 
allowed a slight digression, has ever risen to a position 
where he has benefited his country and done good to man- 
kind on his own hook. Free governments are not adminis- 
tered by guerrillas, and guerrillas are as distasteful and 
harmful to popular government in time of peace as they are 
distasteful to the soldier in time of war. 

Mr. Skiles was elected to the Fifty-seventh Congress by 
a large majority in a district, however, that gives a large 
majority to the party to which he belonged. He was a 
popular candidate, an able and efficient candidate, a candidate 
who challenged and received the honor and respect of his 
partisan opponents. He was a candidate who treated his 
opponents with consideration, respect, and regard, and they 
esteemed him and believed in him, notwithstanding the 
principles that he represented. In the town where he lived, 
Shelby. Ohio, he was popular. I was unable to attend his 
funeral, but I am told that there was a significant demon- 
stration of love and affection which testified in the strongest 
possible degree to the high standing that he held in the 
community. I know that his standing in the State at large 
was the standing of a citizen highly respected and highly 
honored. His home life was beautiful. His love and affec- 
tion for his wife was significant and happy. His family 



12 Life and Character of William 11'. Skiles 

around him loved and honored him, and they weep with 
both affection and pride because of his untimely death and 
of his career. 

He was making his way in Congress. He had suffered ill- 
ness here which retarded his progress, but he was making his 
way. He was able, he was clear-headed, he was intelligent, 
and he was ambitious. Those are the elements that go to 
make Congressmen successful. Personally, I think that the 
greatest of these is ambition, because I believe in ambition. I 
believe the man who is ambitious to rise is the man who will 
do all that is necessary to challenge and receive the respect 
and confidence of his fellows. His death, therefore, was 
untimely. It is my belief that he would have been reelected 
to the Fifty-ninth Congress; and if he had, I am confident he 
would have overcome a sort of unwritten, and what to me 
seems an unfortunate, law of some of our districts in Ohio, that 
a man elected to Congress may be there but for two terms and 
that then he shall be relegated to the rear — a fatal defect in 
our system, something that makes us many times weaker than 
we would be if common sense and good judgment prevailed. 
I believe that in his case he would have grown and overcome 
any such obstacle, if that obstacle existed, and I had hoped to 
see him a distinguished anil prominent member of Congress. 
Had he lived, I have no doubt that my wish would have been 
realized. 

But he is dead and gone, Mr. Speaker. His record is made 
up. It is a good record, and one of which his family may well 
lie proud and his fellows may well approve, I have no time 
nor disposition to discuss the philosophy of death. I can not 
understand any more than any other man or all men put 
together why it is that the men most valuable, most wanted 
here, die first. I can not understand how a young man, as 



Address oj Mr. Grosvenor, of Ohio 13 

Thompson of Alabama, whose life and character have to-da} 
been eulogized, or a strong man like Skii.i'.s should die, while 
old men, men too old for activity, are left behind. God knows, 
and some day, as we have so often heard to-day, we may know 
all about it. 

I do not know now, and no philosophy can teach me and no 
study of books can enlighten me — no dogma of religion can 
throw upon it any light. So I am willing to submit to the 
decrees of a benevolent Heavenly Father. With blind faith — 
for that is what all of our faith must come to at last — in the 
goodness of God and the wisdom of His administration of 
affairs. His careful meting out of all that is right and just and 
desirable to us, I shall abide my time and believe that when 
men like Thompson and Skii.KS and Hanna fall there is some 
good reason for it, and that some day I perhaps may know 
what it is. If I do not, it will make little difference, for I shall 
still have confidence — blind confidence, if you please — in the 
wisdom of the power that is administering these events. 

We shed our tears figuratively over the grave of our departed 
colleague; we tender to his loving wife and family our sincere 
condolence and regard, and may his shining example, his bright 
career, be an incentive to those he has left behind, and in the 
fullness of time may they come to appreciate that virtue, honor, 
integrity, patriotism, and uprightness will secure the approba- 
tion of the people. 



14 Life and Character of William II'. Skiles 



Address of Mr. Tirrell, of Massachusetts 

Mr. Speaker: It is certainly fitting that one who has been 
a Representative in this body, and in the midst of the perfor- 
mance of his public duties has been called hence, that those who 
knew him intimately should attest their appreciation of his 
character and here embody in permanent form the salient 
features of his life. It was my privilege to be numbered in 
that class. During the Fifty-seventh Congress Representative 
Skiles and myself boarded at the same hotel, sat at the same 
table, and during a portion of the time his son was my private 
secretary. 

Thus I came to know him intimately; not only him but all 
his family. Little by little the incidents of his career were 
unfolded to me as well as his social and domestic life. He was 
not one who carried his heart upon his sleeve. He was not 
voluble in conversation. He did not volunteer information 
about himself. He had no self-conceit. He never boasted of 
his achievements. There was no vain glorification in his con- 
versation. He did not consider it necessary to assert himself 
to se'eure his own advancement. 

He knew his limitations, and while not deprecating his own 
abilities had a self-reliant confidence that asserted itself when 
necessary for the accomplishment of the end he had in view. 
He took a broad view of every matter in which he was 
interested. He adopted the simplest and most natural methods 
to accomplish his purposes. Thus as time rolled on, slowly, 
but surely, he laid the foundations of a useful, honorable, and 
eminently successful life. He was a farmer's boy. His youth- 



Address of Mr. Tirrell, of Massachusetts 15 

fill vision saw the broad Ohio fields and the woods and streams 
around him where nature only could impress its lessons. 

The district school, with its rudimentary instruction, must 
have afforded a desultory education only. A better education 
was the home associations of the farm itself, for the strong 
men, the patriotic men, the men of energy, the men who 
have become leaders in public and industrial life are, as a 
rule, those brought up under the inspiration of the moun- 
tains around them or the plains that stretch for miles beyond 
the homestead. Here ambition is inspired and indomitable 
resolution to succeed implanted. 

Such was the effect upon him, for largely by his own 
efforts he secured the means to complete a course in Baldwin 
University, at Berea, Ohio, from which he graduated in [876. 
Admitted to the bar that year, he cast about for a place in 
which to locate. Naturally he would have selected a city or 
a large town in which to practice. A country village in 
modern times offers no inducement even to the young 
practitioner. 

It is not merely that litigation in such places is discoun- 
tenanced, which perhaps is not an evil, but because where 
invested capital is lacking and manufacturing or mercantile 
business is on a small scale there is no occasion for a law- 
yer's services. His cases will be trivial, and his fees gauged 
by the amount involved. There are few occasions for con- 
sultation, and his office is apt to become the rendezvous of 
the idle classes or the village politician. 

Yet such a place was selected by our friend, in Shelby, at 
that time an unpretentious town. He builded better than 
he knew. Did he foresee its future, when large manufacturing 
firms and corporations should extend its borders? Was it 
among his ambitions even then that he could so identify 



16 Life and Character of William W. S 'kites 

himself with it-- development as to be an integral part of it 
himself? 

Whether or no, such was the case, for scarcely an industrj 
of importance was established in which his was not one of the 
guiding hands. He joined the societies and associations of the 
town, took an active part in their deliberations, did yeoman's 
work in them all, and served the people for years as one of 
their school committee. All this was done not tor self-interest 
but as a duty. 

Tile sweetest lives are those to duty wed, 

Whose deeds both great and small 

Are close-knit strands of an unbroken thread 

Where love ennobles all. 

The world may sound no trumpets, ring no bells; 

The book of life the shining record tells. 

Nor did he ever forget that he was but one of the common 
people. He climbed rung by rung the ladder of fame with 
unconquered energy, but he never made his own aggrandize- 
ment his master. He was the genial companion and friend. 
As he strolled down the streets of Shelby he meet all sorts and 
conditions of men. He met them on common ground. For 
all he had a dignified but winning presence and the outstretched 
hand. There was no assumption of superiority. 

For the poor and suffering he was kind, sympathetic, and 
charitable. The needy have often been the recipients of his 
unostentatious benevolence. For him neither wealth nor 
poverty made the man. The honesty, the intention, the 
character — these determined his judgment, so that as the years 
sped on the simplicity and uprightness of his own character 
made a profound impression in his adopted town. 

Early in his legal practice he was associated in partnership 
with his brother, and the association continued to the end. 
As previously stated, the field was too narrow and limited 



Address of Mr. Tirrell, of Massachusetts 17 

for his capacity. There was little promise for the future. 
His restless mind first turned to the enlargement of business 
opportunities in Shelby, and, when its commercial and finan- 
cial interests were assured, to the enlargement of his own. 
He took up the adjustment and trial of railroad accidents 
as a specialty, and so successful was his firm that they soon 
acquired a monopoly of this line of business in the surround- 
ing country. 

Clients came to the country town, passing the great cities, 
to seek his council. The firm became the foremost in this 
specialty in the county, with a most remarkable business, 
considering the circumstances, surpassed, indeed, by but few 
even in the largest cities in the State. So keen were his 
perceptions, so accurate his legal application of principles, so 
just his conclusions that in his latter years few cases actually 
came to trial, but were settled by argument with the oppos- 
ing party. 

It is as a legislator we have known him. He did not par- 
ticipate in the debates of this House. He cared apparently 
nothing for the acclaim the orator receives. Those who have 
listened to his public addresses assert that his views were 
presented always in a clear, concise, and logical manner, 
depending more upon hard facts and reasoning than eloquent 
periods .or impassioned appeals. Details were easily mastered 
by him, and for this reason he was a very valuable repre- 
sentative in the committee room and most useful to his con- 
stituents. It was his wish that Judge A. R. Webber, of 
Elyria. Ohio, should succeed him, and yesterday Judge Web- 
ber was nominated as his successor. 

His death came as a shock, for he had recovered from severe 
illness in the spring and seemed in vigorous health. What a 
H. Doc. 471, 5S-3 2 



18 Life and Character of William W. Skiles 

demonstration at his obsequies! .Kneas in the plutonian shades 

saw the shadowy forms of the philosophers, the warriors, the 

heroes, and gods of mythological antiquity pass by. He 

sought to seize their elusive forms. At last as Marcellus came 

neai and smiled upon him he exclaimed: "Oh, give to me the 

lilies and the purple flowers, that I may strew them on Mar- 

cellus's grave." So the churches, the societies, the bar, the 

people almost literally strewed with flowers his pathway to the 

grave. Seven thousand and seventy-five persons passed by to 

gaze for the last time upon his mortal body. 

He was at rest; that rest which he had longed for when the 

summons came; for if the disembodied spirit can look down 

from the battlements of heaven, his spirit looks down upon us 

to-day, saying, in the words so often repeated by him when 

living, and which illustrated both his life and death: 

So live that when thy summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan which moves 
To that mysterious realm where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night. 
Scourged to his dungeon, hut, sustained and soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, 
Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. 



Address of Mr. Hildebrant, of Ohio [9 



Address of Mr. Hildebrant, of Ohio 

Mr. Speaker: For the second time on this Sabbath day, 
a day which lias been appropriately dedicated to the paying 
of tributes to those who once labored here with us and who 
have gone before into the spirit realm, I arise to briefly call 
to remembrance the life and character of our late friend and 
colleague, William Woodburn Skills, and in thus doing 
deserved honor to him, may we who survive him try to 
learn lessons from his life that may help us as we march 
along life's highway, whither he has gone. 

Mr. Speaker, the necrology of Congress in recent years is 
alarming, and it brings forcibly to our minds the statement 
that verily "in the midst of life we are in death." Among 
her representatives Ohio has furnished a fruitful field io\ 
the grim harvester, for to-day not one, but two, of her 
sons — one a Senator and the other a Representative — whose 
lives were full of deeds that add to the fame of their State, 
to the glory of the nation, and honor to themselves, are 
being paid the respect that is their due. 

William Woodbltrn Skiles was born and raised in the 
fertile vallev of the Cumberland, in the State of Pennsyl- 
vania, and at a tender age went with his parents to the 
home in Ohio where was to be the theater of his life's work 
and where, alas, he was to end his earthly labors. 

Like a great many of our American boys, he went to district 
schools, and later enjoyed the benefits of a liberal higher 
education at Baldwin University. He became a lawyer, and 
practiced his profession with his brother, at Shelby, Ohio. 



20 Life a nd Character of William //'. Skiles 

Mr. Skii.ks's reputation as a deep-thinking, able, and con- 
scientious lawyer was not confined to his home or his county. 
It extended to the larger field of jurisprudence in the State 
of Ohio at large, and here in Congress he was considered a 
man of exceptional lethal training and ability. In this, his 
second term, the honor came to him of presiding over one of 
the most important committees of the House — the Committee 
on Patents; but before he had fairly entered upon the dis- 
charge of his duties as such death claimed him. Had he 
lived, I confidently expected him to bring to bear in the field 
of patent law such a fund of knowledge and such sound 
judgment as would stamp him as one of the leading lawvers 
in the House, if, indeed, he had not already, in his compara- 
tively short service, won that distinction. 

Mr. Skiles went about the affairs of life in a thoroughly 
self-contained way, as seemingly always sure of his ground, 
for, being a deep thinker and close reasoner, he never acted 
except upon well-prepared plans. This characteristic rendered 
him valuable in the counsels of his party in Ohio, as well as 
in diversified fields of business activity, for Mr. Skii.ks. 
besides being a lawyer and a politician, was also a manufac- 
turer and a financier. His personal appearance denoted the 
man of affairs, and his almost massive head told of great 
intellectuality. His election to Congress was the natural 
trend of a man of his parts. He was built to be a lawmaker, 
and that he was cut off right in the midst of his labors, when 
he was just beginning to demonstrate his usefulness and value, 
is a great loss to the country, as it is to his constituency. 

Although he did not live out the allotted three score years 
and ten, his life was as full of deeds as though he had gone to 
the limit, and few men manage to crowd into their lives more 
things of a substantial character that last beyond the fitful and 



Address of Mr. Hz'ldedrant, of Ohio 21 

evanescent life of man than did Mr. Skiles. Such a life as 
his was worth living, because he lived for something. He took 
hold of life, and witli all his physical might and all his mental 
strength turned to good account the talents with which he was 
endowed; and in doing this he made for himself a good name, 
to which we here to-day, who would do him honor, can add 
nothing. His life work, well done, is his monument. 

His fellow-men profited by what Wii.i.iam Woodburn 
Skiles was, because what he was and what he did, in each and 
all the pursuits in which he was engaged, whether as lawyer or 
as banker, whether as manufacturer or as Congressman, whether 
as politician or as home builder, or whether as private citizen 
or public man in any capacity, stood for what is best in a Chris- 
tian nation and for what is best in a country like ours, which 
must of necessity be built upon such men as my late colleague 
was in order to insure its perpetuity. 

The love and esteem in which the friends and neighbors of 
Mr. Skiles held him was amply testified by their general and 
unmistakably sincere sorrow, when, at Shelby, Ohio, his home, 
the people turned out and came from far and near to pay their 
last tribute to their friend, their benefactor, and their honored 
and highly respected Representative. I was privileged to 
attend the funeral of Mr. Skiles as one of the committee on the 
part of the House, and I was deeply impressed by the universal 
sorrow expressed by the people and by the great outpouring of 
his constituents who desired to generously give evidence of the 
loss thej' so keenly felt. These incidents profoundly impressed 
me, and I mention them here that they may go into the Record 
as showing that the people with whom Mr. Skills lived and 
moved, those who knew him long and knew him best, loved 
him most. 



Life and Character oj William II '. Skiles 



Address of Mr. Snook, of Ohio 

Mr. SPEAKER: It is not my purpose at this time to speak 
of the life and character of the late Senator from Ohio, who 
lived to thrust aside the shafts of malice and ridicule that 
were aimed at him as they have been at no other man in 
public life for many years. I shall leave that work for those 
who were more closely associated with him and who knew 
him better than I. 

Mr. Speaker. I arise to speak a few words in memory oi 
one with whom I had no personal acquaintance when I 
tie a Member of this body, but one whom I soon learned 
to love. Long before I met him, an old schoolmate of his 
had said to me: "I want you to meet Mr. Skiles. I know 
you will become friends." And the moment we met I felt 
that the prophecy was true. He had a genial nature, that 
seemed to lift the common things of everyday life into the 
light. 

The windows of his soul were ever open to let in the joys 
and hopes that crowd along life's pathway. And yet he 
was not dead to life's sufferings and sorrows; they always 
touched his heart and were sure to elicit his sympathy, his 
comfort, and his aid. 

In short, I found him to be just what his friend said he 
was —a true, honest, manly man. The work of his hand and 
hi-- brain, as shown forth in his character, give true answer to 
the question often asked, "Is life worth living?" He knew 
that hie is a precious jewel intrusted to our keeping, to be 
polished and perfected and then worthily worn in the sight 
of all men. 



Address of Mr. Snook, of Ohio 

No one could have stood with your committee in the city 
of Shelby on the 1 3th day of last January and looked into 
the grief-stricken faces of her people and longer doubted 
that it was worth while that such a life should have be 
lived. 

Every word, every look, and every act of her citizen- 
showed that one and all had sustained a personal loss in the 
death of William Skilks. 

Shelby had known him as man and boy for fifty years - 
farmer, teacher, lawyer. Representative in Con-res-; progres- 
sive, public-spirited citizen, and man of worth. 

This was the story we heard whispered from every lip, while 
the grief pictured in every face told of the immeasurable loss 
that his death had brought to his friends and neighbors. 

In the half a century that marked the span of his life Shelby- 
had grown to be a city. His life had been interwoven with 
every step of her progress. 

He had been one of the foremost contributors to her advance- 
ment, and as a universal token of respect the factory, the 
shop, the store, and the schools were closed, and her people 
with one accord turned aside to give expression to their grief 
and lovingly testify to the memory of his worth as a citizen 
and a man. 

With bowed heads we gathered within the portals of his late 
home. Loving hands had covered the bier with sweet-scented 
flowers. It seemed that his work and his worth had been 
such that all nature had been robbed of her storehouse of 
flowers for his bed, as if to conceal the fact that he was gone, 
that we might believe he was still one of us fallen asleep amid 
some bank of flowers, ready to wake again at a moment's 
notice to take up life's battles. The illusion seemed complete 



24 Life and Character of William IV. Skiles 

until we heard the voices of the singers raising an appeal for 
the departed soul: 

Lead, kindly ] i^lit , amid til' encircling gloom, 

Lead thou me on! 
The night is dark, and 1 am far from home; 

Lead thou me on; 
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see 
The distant way; one step's enough for me. 

We listened ami were touched by the appeal of the singers, 
and joined with them in a fervent prayer that the sold of our 
friend might even then lie resting on the bosom of its Maker. 

I know of no fitter tribute with which to close my remarks 
than these words, published at the time of his death in the 
Shelby Globe: 

Drop a tear. This day has marked a parting of the ways for us and 
one we held most dear. His life having been spent within her precincts, 
all Richland County to-day mourns the passing of YV. \\". Skii.ks. 

Even as these lines are read the cortege is moving on the street, and 
the massive casket, covered over with beautiful flowers, is emblematic of 
the universal respect which enshrouds his memory with the living. He 
is dead. But his name will live in a loving people's heart till they, too, 
have joined the caravan. 

We hear the muffled tread of horse and wheel as he is borne away, and 
our hearts swell with emotion for the loneliness of the home that death 
has touched; and yet it can not he undone. The wheels of time can not 
he reversed. And as tender hands place him in his last repose we hreathe 
a sigh of " Peace to his ashes," and, returning from our mission, see the 
setting sun as it guides his soul to its distant home. 



Address of Mr. Kyh\ of Ohio 25 



Address of Mr. Kyle, of Ohio 

Mr. Speaker: I had intended to ask that my remarks might 
be printed rather than that I should make any, but by so doing 
I would feel that I was unfaithful to a duty that I owed to one 
of the most pleasant friendships that I have ever formed in my 
life, and one that I shall cherish so long as I shall live; and 
so, Mr. Speaker, after I have spoken of that friendship for a 
moment or two I shall ask to continue my remarks in the 
Recon 1 . 

My personal acquaintance with Mr. Skiles began when we 
came to Congress. At the meeting of the Fifty-seventh Con- 
gress both of us came as new Members of the Ohio delegation. 
I had known him by reputation, but from the very first time 
we met until he left for his home during his last sickness that 
friendship so pleasantly begun rapidly grew into close personal 
relations. 

The days had not come to our friend Skiles when he could 
say in his heart that there was no pleasure in them. Scarcely 
had he begun that which was most promising for him, and 
hardly had he entered upon that work which certainly not only 
bid fair, but assuredly promised, that there would come to him 
the just rewards for the kind and character of services that he 
bestowed upon that which he undertook. The mandate went out 
from on high, directing the messenger to summons William W. 
Skiles from his busy, useful, active life to one of eternal rest. 
He has been gathered to his fathers, but is with us still, for the 
example of a good life can never be forgotten. Genuine praise 
that comes to one either living or dead is that which corner 



26 Life and Character of William J I '. Skiles 

from his own home people. The regard in which one is held 
at home is the true measure of his real worth. 

I never witnessed more genuine grief nor more universal 
i over the death of any man than that manifested in his 
home city. Business was suspended, schools were closed, and 
the people went mourning about the streets. This to my mind 
is fully accounted for and was his just merit. He had been a 
loving husband, a kind, indulgent father, a successful lawyer, 
and had always been active in every proposition that involved 
the welfare of his home city. In this behalf his hand was not 
only seen, but the effect of his splendid business judgment 
was manifest. 

Under his watchful eye Shelby grew from a village to 
active, splendid manufacturing city, and it was to his pride 
that he had contributed to its material success, and there came 
to him for this solicitude and thoughtfulness the preferena ol 
its citizens for him. No man probably ever enjoyed in a larger 
degree and to a fuller extent the confidence of his people than 
did our departed friend; and when the opportunity offered 
itself to them to select a Member of Congress, the} turned in 
but one direction and with but a single thought to their 
favored son, William \V. Skiles. 

He served them faithfully and well, and through him came 
not only to his family and to his personal friends, but to the 
citizens of his community, the realization that his work was 
well done and the just pride that they and their welfare were 
ever uppermost in his mind, and that if the summons sent out 
for him must be answered no greater pleasure could come to 
him than that his life should be laid down while working foi 
those who were nearest and dearest to him. 



Address of Mr. Cassingham, of Ohio 27 



Address of Mr. Cassingham. of Ohio 

Mr. Speaker: My first acquaintance with William Wo 
BURN Skilks dated back to the period of his election to the 
Fifty-seventh Congress, and the impressions I gained at that 
time concerning his character continued until the day of his 
death. 

He was a man of warm and genial nature, a true friend « it 
those who once won his esteem, and of unbounded charity 
t<i all. 

As a young man he worked his way through college by 
teaching every other term, and at the same time studying so 
that he might keep up with his class. After finishing his 
college course he entered upon the study of law. and to that 
profession he devoted himself until he was taken away, the 
only public office he ever held, with the exception of his service 
of eighteen vears as a member of the school board, being 
in this body, commencing with the Fifty-seventh Congress. 

Work and thoroughness in work was the guiding principle 
of his life, and the youth of this country can well look to his 
career as one to be emulated in the untiring devotion to one's 
chosen profession. 

Yet this devotion to his extensive practice did not make him 
narrow-minded, for he became identified with many large 
enterprises and was charitable to the extreme, always ready to 
support any worthy cause. He gave liberally to all the 
churches in his home, although adhering to no particular creed. 
His faith in mankind and the ultimate good in all things was 
ever manifest. He was a man of firm and strong convictions 
and feelings, and yet there was no spirit of petty revenge or 



28 Life and Character of William II'. Skiles 

retaliation in his nature. "Leave it to time, for time levels 
all things," he was accustomed to say when anyone would 
talk to him of retaliation. 

The beautiful side of his character is disclosed by what he 
considered as one of the proudest moments in his life — the 
visit of his aged mother to him after he took his seat in this 
body. The pride of the mother in seeing her son as one of 
the representatives of the people in Congress was to that son 
praise higher and sweeter than the commendation of the world. 
And he was a representative type of American citizenship in 
his affection for his family, probity in public and private life, 
and untiring zeal and capacity for work in his undertakings. 
ami we on this side of the Chamber, who differed from him 
politically, admired him for his manly qualities and esteemed 
him for his kindly nature. In politics he always tried to 
avoid a conflict; but if the conflict came, lie always had the 
courage to follow his convictions to the end. 

Success in his own life made him the more partial to con- 
tribute, by words and deeds, in helping those just entering 
upon the struggles of life. In fact, he would not hesitate to 
assist in every way a young man whom perhaps he bail never 
seen before. I could relate many instances of his unfailing 
kindness, but many of my colleagues also wish to pay tribute 
to his memory, and I know of no better way of closing my 
remarks upon the life and character of William Woodburn 
Skills than by quoting the words of his favorite poem: 

(Hi, why should the spirit of mortal be proud? 
Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud, 
A flash of the lightning, a break of tin.- wave, 
Man passeth from life to his rest in the grave. 

For we are the same our fathers have been; 
We see the same sights our fathers have seen, 
We drink the same stream and have the same sun, 

And run the same course our lathers have run. 



Address of Mr. Webb, of North Carolina 29 



Address of Mr. Webb, of North Carolina 

Mr. Speaker: To the luxuriance of beautiful tributes paid 
our dead colleague to-day I desire to add only a few words. 
It was a pleasure to serve with him on the Patents Com- 
mittee, of which he was chairman, although my acquaintance 
with him was not a long one. He impressed me when I 
first met him as being a dignified, kind-hearted, able, elegant 
o-entleman. My subsequent association with him confirmed 
this impression, and our intercourse was of the pleasantest 
nature. When the news of his death came I was grieved 
and shocked, and felt genuinely as did Byron when he wrote: 

Thy day without a cloud hath pass'd, 
And tin hi wert lovely to the last; 
Extinguished, nut decayed. 

The best index of a man's character is the estimation in 
which he is held by those who knew him longest and best. 
Judged by this standard, \V. W. Skiles must have ap- 
proached unto the perfect man. He lived in Richland County 
and its capital city, Shelby, from his fifth year to his death — 
a period of a half century. When the Congressional funeral 
party reached Shelby grief could be discerned on every 
countenance, and sadness pervaded the entire atmosphere. 
The stores and shops were closed, business suspended, men 
and women spoke in whispers, and everything in the little- 
city presented an air of bereavement. I do not think that 
I ever witnessed such a striking expression of universal 
grief. The weather was bitter cold, the mercury ranged 
below zero, the snow 12 inches deep and scattering flakes 



30 Life and Character of William II'. Skiles 

still falling; and yet women, men. and children stood for two 
hours in this climate in order to get a last look at 

their departed friend and fellow-citizen. I shall never fo 
the sadly beautiful scene, as he lay in the parlor of his own 
cultured home, buried in a bank of fragrant flowers. He 
seemed as natural as in life, peaceful and serene in death as 
he had been imperturbable and equable while living. 

All along the funeral march to the cemetery it ap] - 
as if the entire population of the city had assembled to bow 
their heads in an expression of the keen sense of their loss, 
and many tear-stained eves unmistakably betrayed the grief 
which had seized each heart. Yes, sir; he was well beloved 
by his own people — those who knew him best and longest — 
and this, at last, is the highest tribute that men can render 
unto man; that is, to love him. 

■ In the loss .if our colleague I am reminded of James 
Montgi imery's wi >rds: 

Friend after friend departs; 

Who hath not lost a friend 5 
There is no union here of hearts 

That finds not here an end. 
Were tins frail world our only rest. 
Living or dying, in me were blest. 

To those faithful, loving ones who, of all others, loved him 

most, and to his great State, which honored him and which 

he honored, and in whose bosom he now sleeps, I commend 

the comforting lines written by the sweet singer Whittier: 

1 long for household voices gone; 

For vanished smiles I lone; 
But God hath led my dear ones on, 

And He can do no wrong. 



Address of Mr. Currier, of New Hampshire 31 



Address of Mr. Currier, of New Hampshire 

Mr. Speaker: One of the first men with whom I became 
icquainted when I took my seat as a new Member of the 
Fifty-seventh Congress was Mr. Skii.es, himself a new Mem- 

1 ler. 

We were both appointed as members of the Committee on 
Patents, and I came to know him well. Modest and unas- 
suming, his manner to all was that of a kind and courteous 
gentleman. 

His was a most attractive and winning personality. His 
acquaintances speedily became his loving friends, and perhaps 
the first and best test of success in this world is the ability to 
win and hold personal friends. 

We who served with him on the Committee on Patents soon 
discovered that he brought to the discharge of his duties .1 
sound judgment, a high sense of honor, great industry in 
investigating all matters brought to the attention of the com- 
mittee, ami a conscientious desire to give the very best that 
was in him to the service of the country. He quickly grasped 
the main points of a proposition, and his suggestions regard- 
ing legislation were wise and helpful to his associates. 

He was greatly attached to his home and to the town of 
Shelby, where he had long lived. There is something wrong 
about a man who does not love his home, who does not think 
that his home town is the fairest and best town in all the 
world, and that his neighbors are the very best neighbors that 
a man ever had. In everything that made for the welfare and 
improvement and building up of Shelby Mr. SkilES was a 



32 Life a)ni Character of William Jl'. Skiles 

leader, and no town ever had a more devoted and loyal 
citizen. 

We who attended the last sad services at Shelby, and saw 
the great mills and all the business houses closed and silent 
while the people thronged the streets and stood with bared 
heads that cold and stormy day as the funeral procession 
passed, realized how much he was loved and how deeply he 
was mourned by those who knew him best. 

Mr. Skii.ks was very proud of the privilege of represent- 
ing the people of his district in the House and had a high 
sense of the honor and dignity of the position. 

Of the nine Republicans who were members of the Com- 
mittee on Patents in the Fifty-seventh Congress. Mr. Skii.ks 
ami myself were the only ones reelected to the Fifty-eighth 
Congress, and at the beginning of this session we were again 
placed on that committee, Mr. Skiles being chairman. He 
took up the work of the committee with all the interest and 
earnestness and capacity for intelligent and well-directed 
labor which characterized his work everywhere. I looked 
forward with great pleasure to being associated with him in 
the business of the committee during the Fifty-eighth 
Congress. 

We parted at the beginning of the holiday recess, expect- 
ing to meet again in a few days. When I returned I 
received a message from him announcing his illness and 
requesting me to take charge of the committee during a 
hearing which had been arranged before the recess. I wrote 
him that I would attend to it, but no final action would be 
taken by the committee until he returned, which we all 
hoped and believed would be in a few days. He dictated a 
reply, but before I received it he had passed away. His 
brief illness closed a life which in every way was a success, 
made so by ceaseless effort and strict integrity. 



Address of Mr. Currier, of New Hampshire 33 

His life here, while it added to the work of a tired man, 
was, on the whole, I feel sure, a pleasant experience for 
him. The work of a Member of Congress in the House, in 
committees, and at the Departments, the thousand and one 
things to which he must give attention keep him occupied 
early and late ; and were it not for the charming social 
intercourse which prevails among the Members and for the 
friendships we form here this life would not be worth living. 

When a new Member takes his seat here he soon perceives 
that Congress is full of able men, and men not merely able, 
but brave and honest and conscientious. Men wdio with all 
the light they can get from a careful and patient investiga- 
tion of pending measures are trying unselfishly to do their 
full duty. 

Xo man for any great length of time can deceive a con- 
stituency of 200,000 intelligent people, and few men serve 
long in American politics unless their reputation for integ- 
rity and veracity is beyond question. The action of Congress 
is often bitterly criticised, sometimes when the criticism is 
deserved, but far more often when it is not deserved. 

Mistakes are made here of course. The late William 
Walter Phelps once said: "Men who do not make mistakes 
never make anything else." The House is doing things, 
and often on a scale so vast as to be almost appalling to a 
man who comes here after an experience in the legislature 
of a small State, and on the whole all must admit that it 
does its work well. 

In the death of Mr. Skiles the House lost a Member 
wdio in his brief career here demonstrated that he possessed 
those qualities which fit a man for able and successful pub- 
lic service, and the many Members of the House who were 
privileged to know him lost a dear and valued friend. 
H. Doc. 471, 5S-3 3 



34 Life and Character of William IV. Skiles 

May we all hold as he did the respect, confidence, and 
love of our associates here and elsewhere "until the shad- 
ows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world 
is hushed and the fever of life is over, and our work is 
done." 

Mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent that gentlemen who 
have not spoken may have leave to print remarks in the 
Record, and that all who have spoken may have leave to 
extend their remarks. 

The Speaker pro tempore. Without objection, it will be 
so ordered. 

There was no objection. 

The Speaker pro tempore. Now. in pursuance of the res- 
olutions already adopted, and as a further mark of respect to 
the deceased Senator and Representatives, the House stands 
adjourned until to-morrow, at 12 o'clock noon. 

Accordingly (at 5 o'clock and 26 minutes p. m. 1 the House 
adjourned. 



proceedings in the senate 

message from the house. 

January ii, 1904. 
The message also communicated to the Senate the intelli- 
gence of the death of Hon. William Woodburn SkilES, 
late a Representative from the State of Ohio, and transmitted 
resolutions of the House thereon. 

DEATH OF REPRESENTATIVE SKILLS. 
Mr. FORAKER. Mr. President, I ask that the communi- 
cation from the House, announcing the death of my late 
colleague in that body, Mr. Skills, be laid before the Senate. 
The President pro tempore. The Chair lays before the 
Senate the resolutions of the House of Representatives, 
which will be read. 

The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 

In the House of Representatives, 

January //, /go/. 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives has heard with great sor- 
row of the death of Hon. William Woodburn Skills, of the State of 
Ohio. 

Resolved, That a committee of fifteen Memhers of the House, with such 
members of the Senate as may he joined, he appointed to attend the 
funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and 
directed to take such steps as may he necessary for carrying out the pro- 
visions ,,f these resolutions, and that the necessary expenses in connection 
therewith he paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate 
and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

The Speaker announced the appointment of Mr. Kyle, Mr. Badger, Mr. 
Southard, Mr. Hildehrant, Mr. Dick, Mr. Snook, Mr. Morgan, Mr. Cur- 
rier, Mr. Beidler, Mr. Legare, Mr. Woodyard, Mr. Dickerman, Mr. Rohh, 
Mr. Davidson, Mr. Waniock, ami Mr. Webb members of the committee 
on the part of the House. 

35 






36 Life and Character of William II'. Skiles 

Mr. FoRAKER. Mr. President, at a later day I will ask that 
appro] mate memorial proceedings may be had in honor of Mr. 
Skiles. For the present I offer the resolutions I send to the 
desk. 

The President pro tempore. The Senator from Ohio 
submits resolutions, which will be read. 

The resolutions were read, and considered by unanimous 
consent, as follows: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the announce- 
ment of the death of Hon. William W. Skii.es. late a Representative 
from the State of Ohio. 

Resolved, That a committee of five Senators be appointed by the pre- 
siding officer to join the committee appointed on the part of the House of 
Representatives to take order for superintending the funeral of the 
deceased. 

A', solved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to the 
House of Representatives. 

The President pro tempore. The question is on agreeing 
to the resolutions submitted by the Senator from Ohio. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 

The President pro tempore appointed, under the second 
resolution, as a committee on the part of the Senate. Mr. 
Hanna, Mr. Foraker, Mr. Fairbanks, Mr. McCreary, and Mr. 
Cullom. 

Mr. Forakek. As a further mark of respect to the mem- 
ory of the deceased, I move that the Senate adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 2 o'clock 
and 55 minutes p. m. ) the Senate adjourned until to-morrow. 
Tuesday, January 12. 1904, at 12 o'clock meridian. 

message from the house. 

April 25. 1904. 
The message further transmitted to the Senate the resolu- 
tions of the House of Representatives on the life and public 
services of Hon. William \V. Skii.ks, late a Representative 
from the State of ( )hio. 

o 



